Dedicated to the Business of Contemporary Live Music
CONCERTS-GOERS with special access requirements will now be able to purchase tickets online like anyone else, thanks to new technology developed by Ticketmaster. Disabled people can either buy a ticket and then register their access and/or seating needs, or register first and have the information stored and then attached to…
Read moreAMBASSADOR THEATRE Group (ATG), the UK’s largest theatre operator may be up for sale. An article in The Sunday Times claimed that ATG’s majority owner, US firm Providence Equity, was hoping to sell the company for £500 million, after taking control of it in a £350 million deal. Providence purchased…
Read moreGLOBAL PROMOTING giants Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) and AEG Presents together control almost 30 per cent of the festival market, according to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF). The organisation’s festival ownership map for 2019 reveals that LNE, which owns festivals including Download (cap. 110,000), Creamfields (60,000) and Wireless (45,000),…
Read moreAEG’S FLAGSHIP arena The O2 (cap. 21,000) has sold its 25,000,000th ticket after a run of sell-out concerts from Ariana Grande, Travis Scott and Muse. Since opening in 2007 the venue has hosted more than 2,000 performances and now averages over 200 events a year, including music, sport and comedy….
Read moreTHE PROPOSED acquisition of Irish promoter and venue owner MCD Productions by LN-Gaiety (LNG) has been provisionally cleared by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). MCD is owned Denis Desmond and wife Caroline Downey, with pair also 50/50 partners with Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) in LN-Gaiety, through their Gaiety Investments…
Read moreMODEST! MANAGEMENT co-founders Richard Griffiths and Harry Magee, are the first artiste managers to receive the Music Industry Trusts (MITs) award. The pair, whose roster includes Little Mix, One Direction, Niall Horan and MNEK, follow in the footsteps of previous recipients such as CAA agent Emma Banks, Kylie Minogue OBE…
Read moreTHE MUSIC Managers Forum (MMF) has published a report identifying potential barriers for managers and is calling for a re-evaluation of the role. The report, which is entitled Managing Expectations and is underpinned by a survey of 180 managers and in-depth interviews, indicates a “potential disconnect between the increased workload…
Read moreGRACE JONES will curate next year’s edition of Meltdown festival, hosted by London’s Southbank Centre. The annual event will take place on 12-21 June across the Centre’s Royal Festival Hall (cap. 2,740), Queen Elizabeth Hall (916), Purcell Room (293) and cultural quarter on the banks of the River Thames. “There’s…
Read moreTHE MOBO Awards, a celebration of music of black origin and culture, will return next year after a two-year hiatus, taken to “bring the platform to brand new heights”. The awards, established in 1996, will take place on 12 November at London’s The SSE Arena (cap. 12,500). “We felt empowered…
Read moreCHELTENHAM JAZZ Festival (cap. 7,600) has appointed Dave Gaydon, former head of programming at LW Theatres and previously head of music at London’s Roundhouse (3,110), as its new head of programming. Following eight years at the London venue, Gaydon replaces Emily Jones who moves to Sage Gateshead (1,700) to become…
Read moreAMONG KEY issues debated at the LIVE UK Summit were the ethics of facial recognition for ticketing, the importance of the grassroots sector and strategies to make resale safe. The 13th annual conference and networking event took place at the convention facilities beneath London’s new Hard Rock Hotel at Marble…
Read moreThe early Friars Aylesbury team got their kicks from the music and the excitement, with a successful show meaning they could do another one. 50 years ago was also when artistes such as Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath and Genesis were emerging from pubs and colleges, and David Bowie…
Read moreELITE CONCERTS director John Patrick reports having a particularly successful year, with the company’s Killer Queen show. The Queen tribute sold-out a short-hall configuration at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena (configured for 5,500) in September, grossing more than £130,000 in ticket sales. The show is also expected to sell out at Cardiff’s…
Read moreTHE ORGANISERS of water sports and music festival Wheels and Fins (cap. 5,000) have put the company behind the event into liquidation. The festival was due to take place in Joss Bay, Kent on 7–8 September, featuring artistes including Friendly Fires, Slaves and Mystery Jets, but was cancelled days before…
Read moreLIVE NATION Entertainment (LNE) has launched a legal appeal against the decision to award rival AEG another six-year contract to stage concerts in London’s Hyde Park. The Royal Parks, owner of the 65,000-capacity site, is being challenged by LNE over the bid process for the six-concerts-a-year contract, which it held…
Read moreTHE O2 (cap. 21,000) and owner-operator AEG have launched a corporate social responsibility programme, to promote sustainability, accessibility, charity and community. The new initiative, named Good Vibes All Round, follows existing programme AEG 1EARTH which aims to minimise the venue’s and company’s impact on the environment. During the last year,…
Read moreMUMFORD & SONS band member Ben Lovett is to open a second live music venue in London. The 600-capacity Lafayette, will be located on Goods Way in Kings Cross, adjacent to arts university Central Saint Martins and set to open in February. Lovett already owns the 350-capacity Omeara at London…
Read moreTHE MUSIC Managers Form (MMF) and YouTube have opened applications for the 2020 Accelerator programme, with backing from Arts Council England and the Scottish Music Industries Association. The initiative, which was launched last year, offers music managers the chance to win 12 months funding of up to £15,000, 100+ hours…
Read moreASM GLOBAL, the venue management giant created by the merger of AEG Facilities and SMG Europe, has won the contract to operate the 12,500-capacity arena planned Gateshead Quays. A joint venture between developer Ask Real Estate and investment manager PATRIZIA, the venue will host concerts, conferences and exhibitions, and is…
Read moreAMBASSADOR THEATRE Group (ATG) has appointed Jo Ager as general manager for new venue Stockton Globe (cap. 3,000) in Stockton-on-Tees. Ager joins ATG from Scarborough Spa Grand Hall (1,825) and the Whitby Pavilion (372) where she spent the last 10 years developing the venues for operator Sheffield International Venues (SIV)….
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